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Mouthwash test may spot hidden throat cancer

NCT ID NCT05524025

Diagnosis Sponsor: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested a new mouthwash-based DNA test to see if it can find HPV in saliva, which might help detect HPV-related throat cancer early. Researchers compared results from 360 people — some with throat cancer and some without. The goal was to see how accurate the test is at telling the two groups apart.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this test could offer a simple, non-invasive way to screen for HPV-related throat cancer, potentially catching it earlier.
What could go wrong
This is a completed study that only measured how often the test finds HPV DNA in people with and without cancer. It does not prove the test can prevent or treat cancer, and more research is needed to confirm its real-world usefulness.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

360 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Nov 2022

Finished

Jan 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Clinic schedules will be screened by the study team to identify eligible participants.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18+ years * Able to provide informed consent * Either one of the following: * Control cohort: Male individuals WITHOUT head and neck tumors that are, or may be, HPV-positive * Case cohort: Any individual WITH incident, untreated HPV-positive oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to provide informed consent * Head and neck tumors of non-oropharynx subsites that are or may be HPV-positive, including oral cavity, sinonasal, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, or nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

human papilloma virus infection human papillomavirus-related squamous cell carcinoma oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

HPV infection HPV positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Brigham & Woman's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • Dana Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

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